


Ghost Stories

by nullvoid



Series: Shyan Playlist [4]
Category: Buzzfeed Unsolved (Web Series), Watcher Entertainment RPF
Genre: Fluff, M/M, Romantic Fluff, Song: Ghost Stories (The Narcissist Cookbook)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-08
Updated: 2020-12-08
Packaged: 2021-03-10 06:15:05
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,297
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27959780
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nullvoid/pseuds/nullvoid
Summary: Ryan sat in the passenger seat, not really caring where Shane had decided to whisk him off to in such a hurry. The warmth of his lover's hand and the soft looks they shared every few moments were enough for him.Or, Shane takes Ryan to their favorite hiking trail one evening.
Relationships: Ryan Bergara/Shane Madej
Series: Shyan Playlist [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1802245
Comments: 23
Kudos: 33
Collections: The Shyan Shipping Society Stories





	Ghost Stories

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks to AJ and Stella for looking this over ❤ love u both.

It was a quiet drive. The soft and gentle guitar of one of Shane's indie favorites hummed along to the tune of the open road. Shane was in the driver's seat, the picture of calm and collected, hand cradling his boyfriend's on top of the console. Ryan sat in the passenger seat, not really caring where Shane had decided to whisk him off to in such a hurry. The warmth of his lover's hand and the soft looks they shared every few moments were enough for him. Shane pulled into the parking lot of a hiking trail they frequented. 

Ryan smiled.

"Didn't need to be so secretive about an evening hike, big guy." 

Shane shrugged and they both got out of the car, rounding it and holding his arm out and making a grabby motion to Ryan. The shorter man giggled and took his hand, lacing their fingers together. They started walking the familiar path, Ryan pressing their arms together for a brief moment. Shane remained silent, though his partner could tell that he was getting progressively more nervous as they approached their destination. Ryan simply squeezed his hand in comfort, all of his soul telling him to simply _trust_ that Shane knew what he was doing.

Shane paused just before they crested the hill. The overlook they had grown so familiar with over the years lay just out of sight. He pulled Ryan to a stop next to him. Ryan looked up at him, tilting his head. Shane looked down at him and a soft, slow smile graced his lips. His free hand came up and caressed Ryan’s cheek, thumb brushing under his eye.

“I love you, Ryan.” Shane murmured. 

Ryan blushed, a wide grin splitting his face. He pulled his boyfriend down by the back of his neck and kissed him sweetly.“I love you too, Shane.” 

“Race you to the top?” Tthe two let go of each other and squared up next to each other. Ryan was his typical competitive self, insisting they draw a line and that _he_ counted them off so Shane wouldn’t ‘cheat’. Finally, when everything was perfect, Ryan grinned up at his partner. He slowly counted through three and two, paying before he rushed to one, taking off at a dead sprint ahead of Shane.

Ryan ran and ran, pushing over the hill while whooping and laughing. He glanced back and saw Shane simply standing at their ‘starting line’, watching Ryan with a soft and shy smile. Ryan’s grin dropped and he stopped his running, turning to face him.

“What are you doing?” he called. Shane shrugged.

“Turn around. Tell me how the view is and I’ll meet you up there.” Ryan frowned and turned back to the overlook, taking it in for the first time. Around the clearing, flowers had been scattered throughout. Dimly glowing lights outlined the tree-line. Ryan blinked, feeling numb suddenly. He felt Shane step up next to him, elbows brushing.

“Sh.. Shane?” he whispered, voice small and frail. Shane pulled him closer to the edge of the clearing that overlooked the city, stopping halfway.

“You once asked me why I love you.”

_Shane had been a cocky and sure twenty eight year old. He was smart, worldly. He had no doubts he would take Buzzfeed by storm, change the game, challenge the system. He did this by being headstrong during meetings, making sure he was noticed as an intern, volunteering early and staying late._

_Then Shane met Ryan. It all changed. It was like seeing the first sunrise of the year in Trosm_ _ø,_ _Norway. Ryan was beautiful. He was generous, sweet, outgoing. He was capable of being noticed without being a, a.. A dick, an obnoxious asshole. He was everything Shane wasn’t and he didn’t realize how badly he needed that until he had it._

“What are you doing..?” Ryan asked again, Shane pulling him even closer to the edge.

“You asked me why I love you and I couldn’t give you a direct answer. I’m sorry. I want to do that.”

_Ryan was the first to make a move. Of course he was, he always was. From the first time he asked Shane to do Unsolved to the night of their first wrap party, fruity tiki bar drinks lowering their inhibitions. He reeled Shane in with his glowing, wide smile, and once he had him, he kissed the breath from his lungs. Ironically, it felt like the first time Shane had ever breathed clean air. Ever since, any time he needed a breath of fresh air, he pulled Ryan into his arms and kissed him as sincerely as he had the first time._

_Of course, it wasn’t always possible. On the days when everything piled up way too much, Shane buried himself in bed and turned on YouTube videos. He would go on and on like that for hours until Ryan would make his way over. He’d open Shane’s curtains and blinds, crack the windows. He’d make Shane tea and slip into bed beside him, slowly convincing him to sit up and rejoin the world with gentle kisses and even softer words. Ryan taught Shane how to become real again._

“You know I’m no good at this emotional stuff,” Shane joked, gesturing between them. He squeezed Ryan’s hand and looked out over the city before looking back into Ryan’s eyes. “But when it comes to you, it’s as easy as reciting Puppet History lines.” he picked up Ryan’s other hand and pulled them both up to his face, kissing them gently.

"Talking about how you make me feel is as natural as the stars in the sky, like the sun rising every morning I wake up in your arms,” Ryan swallowed around the lump in his throat, feeling tears prick in his eyes. Shane’s smile stuttered and he pulled Ryan to his chest, Ryan allowing himself to be tucked under his chin. “But explaining why I love you would be like finding out the answer to all those unsolved mysteries, like finding definitive proof for or against the existence of ghosts.” Ryan giggled, the sound muffled by Shane’s chest and the emotion crowding his lungs. “If we have a ‘why’, we stop looking. We stop letting this flow like we do, we lose our rhythm. I don’t want that to change. I never want to stop being me and I never want you to stop being you.” 

Ryan pushed back and looked up at his partner. “Shane Madej doesn’t want the ghost story to be over?” 

Shane smiled, staring deep into his partners eyes. Ryan saw, as he always did, unrestrained emotion. None of the usual walls or emptiness other people claimed they saw.

“Never.” Shane took another step back from Ryan, putting some space between them. With the decorated clearing on one side and the now dark sky overhead, the sprawling glowing city below, everything felt like it clicked together. Ryan watched Shane drop to a knee, pulling a velvet box from his pocket. Ryan felt the numbness return, his hands automatically coming to cover his mouth. The tears finally spilled.

“Ryan Bergara, I love you because I have to. There is no ‘why’. There’s no explanation. I just love being around you and I never want to remember what it’s like to be alone,” Ryan heard more than he saw Shane’s shaky inhale, the nervous twitch of his lips. “Will you marry me?” 

Ryan nodded eagerly, swiping the tears from his eyes to see his boyfriend - no, fiance - clearly.

“Abso-fucking-lutely, big guy.” Shane laughed and stood, sliding the ring onto his finger before Ryan pulled him down into a deep kiss.

_Shane took in the fresh air. He breathed and he knew - he would never have to hold his breath again._


End file.
